Chinese hackers from a group known as Salt Typhoon have stolen the metadata of a large number of customers of major telecommunications companies, US government officials said. The hack is considered the largest attack on telecommunications companies in US history and may still be ongoing.
According to Reuters, a senior official said at a press conference that Chinese hackers had stolen metadata about “a large number” of people. “We don't think it's every cell phone in the country, but we think it's a potentially large number of people that the Chinese authorities are focusing on,” the government official said.
He added that Salt Typhoon hackers linked to Chinese services had gained access to the systems of at least eight companies in the industry, including the largest mobile network operators.
Hackers can still gain access to systems
Metadata does not contain the content of the conversations, but it contains information such as: about their length, details of the interviewees or their location, which can be very valuable material in cyber espionage operations. On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes and representatives of the services and the White House came to Congress for a closed briefing on the subject for all senators. The Salt Typhoon hack was first reported in September when the Wall Street Journal reported on it.
According to US officials, hackers may still be active and have access to systems. Last week, Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss said it was the largest cyberattack on telecommunications companies.
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